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Eritrea
Area: 121,320 sq km
Population: 3.5 million
Capital City: Asmara
People: Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 35%, Afar 4%, Saho 3%, Kunama 3%
Main language(s): Tigrinya, Tigre, Arabic and English
Religion(s): 50% Christian (Coptic, Catholic and Protestant), 50% Muslim
Currency: Nakfa (replaced the Ethiopian Birr in 1997) exchange rate 8.43 to 1US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$ (2003)
President: Isaias Afwerki
Membership of international groupings/organisations: United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Foreign Minister: (vacant)
GEOGRAPHY
Eritrea lies on the West Coast of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Sudan to the west, Djibouti to the east and Ethiopia to the south.
HISTORY
Eritrea came into existence as an Italian colony in 1890. Italy used Eritrea as a jumping off point for its conquest of Ethiopia in 1936. In 1941 British led forces drove out the Italians and Eritrea was placed under British military administration. This lasted until 1950 when the UN General Assembly agreed that Eritrea should be federated with Ethiopia under the sovereignty of the Ethiopian Crown. The federation was abolished in 1962 and Eritrea was absorbed into Ethiopia.
The first Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) formed in 1961. A second, the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF), headed by Isaias Afewerki, developed in the 1970s, boosted by the Revolution in Ethiopia. Both were committed to independence for Eritrea. In the early 1980s the EPLF defeated the ELF and drove it into Sudan, where it fragmented. The EPLF went on to form a strategic alliance with an insurgent group in Northern Ethiopia, the Tigrayan Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF). They waged a long and eventually successful guerrilla war against the Mengistu government. In May 1991, the EPLF took control of Eritrea as their TPLF allies (now the EPRDF) entered Addis Ababa. A UN supervised referendum was held in April 1993 in which over 99% voted in favour of independence, on a turnout of over 90 per cent. Ethiopia recognised Eritrea on 2 May 1993. The UK recognised Eritrea on 14 May 1993.
POLITICS Isaias Afewerki was elected President by the National Assembly in 1993. The EPLF renamed itself the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) and has continued to run the country. They embarked upon a four-year transitional period in preparation for national elections but political development has been arrested by the renewal of conflict with Ethiopia. A draft constitution was ratified by the National Assembly in 1997, but most of its provisions have yet to be passed into law. There is no provision for alternative political parties.
In 2001 there was criticism of the leadership within the PFJD. President Isaias responded by arresting eleven senior government figures, who are still being detained without trial. At the same time the fledgling private press was closed down and nine journalists and numerous students detained. National elections were scheduled for 2001 but have been delayed indefinitely. Local elections were held in 2003 (village level) and 2004 (regional level).
HUMAN RIGHTS
The human rights situation in Eritrea is very poor. Detention without charge is common. Freedom of expression is severely restricted and political critics and journalists have been held for long periods. National elections have never been held and alternative political parties are not permitted. Religious freedom is also restricted: although Eritrea is a secular state only the four major established religions (Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Catholic and Protestant) are able to meet freely. Smaller religious groups, especially Evangelicals, face restrictions on their activities and some have been arrested.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP (US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$): \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$1,003 million (2005 est)
GNP per capita (US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$): 150
Real GDP Growth: 2% (2006/7projection)
Exchange Rate: 15.38 NFA - \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$1 (2006)
Major Industries: Food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
Major trading partners: Exports - Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan 13.2%, United Arab Emirates 7.3%, Italy 5.3% (1998). Imports - Italy 17.4%, United Arab Emirates 16.2%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4%.
The economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, which employs 70 – 80% of the population. Eritrea’s industrial sector once accounted for 27% of GDP and employed 10% of the workforce. The ports at Massawa and Assab were major economic assets while they served Ethiopia’s import and export needs. (Since the 1998 war Ethiopia no longer uses them.) Eritrea’s economic prospects were severely affected by the war and continued military preparedness has resulted in acute shortages of manpower and foreign exchange. Economic growth in 2005 of <1% is projected by the IMF in 2005. Contributions from the diaspora help to keep the economy afloat. Efforts are underway to develop the tourist industry around Massawa.
DEVELOPMENT
Eritrea is a very poor country facing perennial food security problems. It ranks 161 out of 177 on the UN human development index. Life expectancy is 59 years. HIV prevalence is below 3%. In 2003 about 70% of the population depended on foreign assistance for all or part of their food supply, and 66% of the population were living below the poverty line, rising to 80% in rural areas.. Acute malnutrition affects up to 15% of children under 5. The government has put substantial effort into improving health and education provision.
The UK provides substantial humanitarian support. Since 2003 the UK have committed £9.48 million of humanitarian assistance, channelled through the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross and CAFOD. The DFID development budget for Eritrea is £3.8 million for 2006/7, set to rise to £4.8 million in 2007/8.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Ethiopia
A dispute over the ill-defined border with Ethiopia flared into military conflict in May 1998. There were an estimated 100,000 casualties. Hostilities concluded with the signing of the Algiers Peace Agreement of December 2000. This established a Boundary Commission to delimit and demarcate the border and established a 25km Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) between the two countries. A UN peacekeeping force (UNMEE) has been deployed along the TSZ since 2001. India, Jordan and Kenya are the major troop contributors, though the size of the force was reduced from 4,000 to 2,300 in early 2006 following restrictions placed on UNMEE activities and staff by the Eritrean Government. Under the Peace Agreement, UNMEE is to remain in place until the delimitation and demarcation of the border had been completed.
The Boundary Commission announced its decision on the border on 13 April 2002. Demarcation was due to follow in 2003. However, when it became clear that the town of Badme (where the hostilities started) had been awarded to Eritrea, Ethiopia challenged the BC's conclusions. In November 2004 Ethiopia announced its acceptance “in principle” of the BC ruling but progress on demarcation remains stalled. The international community continues its efforts to keep the peace process on track by underlining that the BC decision is final and binding and by urging both Governments to engage in political dialogue. There have been a series of meetings of the EEBC over the course of 2006.
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